50+ Teen Slang Words Meaning Every Parents Should Know

When you talk to your teens, do you ever wonder if you understand their language?
Every generation of teens develops its own unique language. A few words to think about include “outta sight,” “phat,” “rents,” “gag me with a spoon,” “radical,” and “peace out.” Despite being a part of youth culture (and the slang that defines it) when you are a child, being a parent to one can make it increasingly difficult to stay up to date with the latest teen jargon.

In the age of social media, memes, digital communication, and the ever-present cell phone, it has become increasingly difficult to understand what teens are saying. Almost as soon as you master a few phrases, you’re gone again.

This is a list of the most common teen slang that kids these days use, based on our data at slang-words.com. We’ve compiled some familiar slang and some that may shock you. (PS. If your child uses a potentially worrisome phrase or word, we can help!)

Let’s take a look at some cool teen slang dictionary for parents in this article. Slangs are also good words to ponder, as they work on relatability. Scroll down for more!

Related: Trending Slang Words You Need To Use

Educating yourself about common teen slang is important so you understand what your teen is saying online and in person.

Important Note For Parents:

There’s no doubt that teens are prone to experimentation and pushing boundaries-and also to talk a big game. So sometimes these words will be used in fun or boasting, but sometimes they indicate risky behavior (or potential risky behavior).

In general, teens get-togethers aren’t a cause for concern, but they are fun rites of passage. There are, however, concerns regarding supervision, appropriate behavior, the use of illegal substances, alcohol, bullying, peer pressure, and unprotected sexual activity at parties (and related teen slang).

It is important to know what your child is saying and to be aware of any words that might indicate trouble, regardless of whether they are engaging in inappropriate or dangerous activities.

This is how text slang is decoded

• Dope – Cool or awesome

• GOAT – “Greatest of All Time”

• Gucci – Good, cool, or going well

• Lit – Amazing, cool, or exciting

• Cake — Used to describe a large bottom
• Cappin — Lying
• CEO of [something] — To be a representative of some activity or thing. Example: “Taylor is the CEO of sleeping in late.”
• Cursed — Used to describe something (usually an online image) that is unsettling or creepy
• Cringe — Causing feelings of embarrassment or awkwardness

• Daddy — An attractive man, usually older, who conveys a sense of power and dominance
• Dope — A way to describe something as cool or awesome
• Drip — Style, great fashion sense, flashy accessories
• DTF — Down to f*ck

• OMG – An abbreviation for “Oh my gosh” or “Oh my God”

• Salty – Bitter, angry, agitated

• Sic/Sick – Cool or sweet

• Snatched – Looks good, perfect, or fashionable; the new “on fleek”

• Fire – Hot, trendy, amazing, or on point (formerly “straight fire”)

• TBH – To be honest

• Tea – Gossip, situation, story, or news

• Thirsty – Trying to get attention

• YOLO – “You Only Live Once” (often used ironically)

• Bae – “Before anyone else,” babe, or baby; is used to describe a romantic partner or good friend

• Basic – Boring, average, or unoriginal

• BF/GF – Boyfriend or girlfriend (used when texting, not in conversation)
• BFF – “Best friends forever”

• Cap – Fake or a lie

• Curve – To reject someone romantically (related to “ghosting”)

• Emo – Someone who is emotional or a drama queen

• Flex – To show off

• No cap – Totally true or no lie

• Noob/n00b – A person who doesn’t know what they’re doing or who is bad at something; in other words, a newbie

• Periodt – End of statement emphasizer. For example: “That’s the best ice cream, periodt.”

• Ship – You might “ship” two people together, as in you think they should be a couple; derived from the word relationship

• Shook – To be incredibly shocked or shaken up

• Squad – Group of friends that hang out together regularly, used ironically

• Sus – Suspicious, shady, not to be trusted

• Throw shade – To give someone a dirty look
• Tight – In a close relationship or friendship
• Tool – Someone who is stupid, obnoxious, rude, and/or embarrasses themselves, often a jock type

• Crashy – Crazy and trashy, like a trainwreck
• Crunk – Getting high and drunk at the same time, or crazy and drunk

• Hangry – Hungry and angry
• Requestion – Request and a question, or to question again
• Tope – Tight and dope
• Netflix and chill – Used as a front for inviting someone over to make out (or maybe more)
• 53X – Sex
• CU46 – See you for sex
• Dayger – Party during the day
• Function/Func – Party
• Kick back – Small party
• Molly – Ecstasy (MDMA), a dangerous party drug
• Rager – Big party
• Sloshed – To be drunk
• Throw down – To throw a party
• Turnt – To be high or drunk (formerly “turnt up”)
• X – Ecstasy
• WTTP – Want to trade photos?
• LMIRL – Let’s meet in real life

• AF — As f**k
• A mood — A relatable feeling or situation (often shortened to the single word, “mood”)
• And I oop — Used when something is really surprising or provocative
• And that’s on [something] — Used to indicate that you’ve just shared a truth that needs no further discussion
• ASL — Age/sex/location
• Cheugy — Used to describe someone or something that is basic, out of date, or trying too hard
• Bet — A response indicating agreement. Example: “Wanna go to the store?” “Bet.”
• Bih — Short form of b*tch
• Body count — The number of people someone has slept with
• Bruh — “Bro”; can be used to address anybody
• BTS — A Korean boy band popular with tweens and teens
• Bussin — Awesome. Example: These tacos are bussin’.

• Fye – Another way to say fly or cool. Like, “That movie was fye!” Teen Slang Dictionary
• Glow Up – Refers to getting a makeover or having a spa day; beautifying. “I gotta make a stop at Ulta; I’m finna get my glow up!”
• Go Off – A term used when encouraging a rant or argument, oftentimes used sarcastically. Like when a teen says, “OMG every time I get food at Taco Bell, they forget to give me a freakin’ straw. It’s so annoying! I swear….”, her friend might say, “Go off” in response.

• Ded — Used when something is really funny or embarrassing. Example: OMG that meme has me ded!
• Egirl / Eboy — A young person with emo-inspired, punk-rock style
• Facts — An emphatic way to acknowledge the truth of someone’s statement
• FOMO — Fear of missing out
• Fam — Friends
• FBOI — F**k boy; a guy just looking for sex
• FINSTA — Fake Instagram account
• FWB — Friends with benefits
• Gas — Can refer to marijuana, be used to describe something that’s cool, or be used as a verb to mean “hype someone up”
• IYKYK — “If you know you know”; meant to imply that there’s an inside joke
• Ghosted — Ending a relationship by completely disappearing with no further communication
• Goals — Something you want or aspire to
• GTG — Got to go
• Hentai — Graphic anime pornography
• High key — 1. Very interested in 2. Actively spreading information
• Hits different — When something is better than it normally is because of different circumstances. Example: “A cold soda just hits different when it’s super hot outside.”
• ISO — In search of
• Juul — Type of e-cigarette that is small and discreet; ‘pods’ are used for smoking
• Karen  — Used to refer to an entitled mom
• KMS — Kill myself
• KYS — Kill yourself
• Turnt/Turnt Up — Something that’s active or popular, can also refer to being stoned or drunk
• LMAO — Laughing my ass off
• LMP — 1. A term that means “like my pic” or 2. Sometimes stands for “lick my p***y”
• OFC — Short for “of course”
• LOL — Laugh out loud
• Low key — 1. Somewhat interested in 2. Keeping information secret
• Meal — Someone who looks good enough to eat. See also: “Snack” or “snacc”
• Mid — Insult meaning “low quality” or “average.” Derives from “mid-tier”— not awful, but not great. Example: “The new Jurassic Park was mid.”
• Netflix and chill — Getting together and hooking up
• NP — No problem
• OK, Boomer — Calling out an idea that is outdated or resistant to change
• OMFG — Oh my f**king god
• Plug — Term used to refer to someone who can “connect” you with drugs; a drug dealer.
• PMOYS — Acronym that stands for “put me on your Snapchat”
• ROTFLMAO — Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off
• Salty — To be bitter or cranky about something
• Same  — “I can relate”
• Shading — Where teens gossip about another party without naming them; also “throw shade” means to talk about someone
• Sis — Short for “sister” but can be used to address anybody; usually used to express that drama has occurred
• Skeet — To ejaculate
• Ship — Short for “relationship”; also used as a verb to indicate a desire to see two people together. Ex.: I ship Taylor and Jamie.
• Smash — Means to have casual sex
• SMDH — Shaking my damn head

• SMH — “Shaking my head,” meaning “I don’t believe it” or “that’s so dumb”

• Snack — Describes an attractive person
• Snapstreak — Created when friends send snaps every day, creating a streak
• Spam — A fake social media account
• Stan — A teen slang term meaning an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity
• STFU — Short for “shut the f**k up,” can be used as an expression of disbelief or to cyberbully
• Swoop — To be picked up in an automobile
• Thicc — Having an attractive, curvy body

• TF — The f**k, as in “who TF you think are?”
• Thirsty — Desperate for attention, usually sexual attention
• Thot — Stands for “that ho over there” and is often used instead of “slut”
• Trash — “Terrible,” “unacceptable
• V — “Very”
• WYA — Where you at?
• Vibing — Chilling out, having a good time, or identifying with a certain kind of energy

• VSCO girl — A style characterized by Hydro Flasks, Crocs, and scrunchies
• WAP — Wet ass p*ssy
• Woke — Socially or politically conscious
• WTF — What the f**k?
• WYD — What you doing?
• YAAS — A very emphatic yes
• CYA — “Cover your ass” or “see ya”
• YEET — 1. A very strong word for yes. 2. To throw something.

• Zaddy — A well-dressed, attractive man of any age

• 420 — Marijuana reference
• 11:11 — Popular time to make a wish
• ASB — As balls. Example: I’m high asb.
• Chad — A hyper-sexual young man
• Chill — Relaxed or laid back
• Coney — Slang for “penis”
• Dabbing — Refers to concentrated doses of cannabis; also a dance craze
• Dongle — Slang for “penis”
• Turnt — Excited and having a good time, often with the help of drugs or alcohol
• HEAF — An acronym for “High Expectations Asian Father”
• ILY — I love you
• IRL — In real life
• JK — Just kidding
• School Bus — A 2mg Xanax bar, which is yellow
• SH — Sh** happens
• SUFF — An acronym meaning “Shut up, f**k face”
• Hulk — A 2mg generic benzodiazepine bar, which is green
• Spam — A fake social media account
• TDTM — Talk dirty to me
• WUF — Where you from?
• OKURRR — Variation of “OKAY” made popular by rapper Cardi B who defines it as something that is said to affirm when someone is being put in their place

Conclusion

Check out these cool slangs and make sure you use them from now on. Kindly share after reading!